Jordan: Suzuka showed a different Schumacher

BBC pundit and former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan has back-tracked on his criticism of Michael Schumacher after saying that the Japanese Grand Prix was a race where fans saw 'something of his old self'.

Jordan has been an outspoken critic of Schumacher this season after he elected to come out of retirement, with the German having struggled for results with the Mercedes team.

Sixth place at Suzuka marked only the fourth time this season that Schumacher has finished inside the top six but Jordan said it was a sign that he could still do a job in F1.

That comes despite Jordan having said that the race in Singapore prior to Japan was one of the worst he had ever seen Schumacher drive.

"We saw a different Schumacher in Japan," Jordan told Auto Motor und Sport. "He couldn't have gone on being as bad as he was in Singapore. It was a big improvement. In practice he was faster than Rosberg and that's something we haven't seen too often.

"I think he just felt comfortable. Suzuka is a brilliant drivers' circuit, and Michael is a brilliant driver. I think we saw something of his old self."

Schumacher's sixth place finish saw him move up to ninth in the drivers' championship.